Troy

Troy High boys bowling wins county title

By Christian Davis
C & G Sports Writer

» click to enlarge « Photo provided by Mary Lynn Kincaid The Troy High boys bowling won the Oakland County tournament Jan. 19 in Clarkston. Photo provided by Mary Lynn Kincaid The Troy High boys bowling won the Oakland County tournament Jan. 19 in Clarkston.

Troy High boys bowling coach Bob St. Onge had an inkling that something special might be in store for his team, heading into the Oakland County tournament Jan. 19 in Clarkston.

“The boys had been bowling real well from the week before. We were coming in at a good time,” he said.

The previous weekend, the Colts, who are also coached by Mary Lynn Kincaid, had finished third out of 28 teams in a tournament.

This time around, Troy rode the momentum and won the program’s first county championship, beating Walled Lake Central 381-354 in the title match.

When the final pin dropped, the celebration began.

“The kids were all jumping up and down, and hugging each other. I told each and every one of them good job and that I was proud of them. I think they are still on a high,” St. Onge said. “I couldn’t tell you how proud I was. My heart was beating fast and everything for them. It was amazing. I used to play softball, and we won a few state tournaments, and it felt like one of those wins.”

Tyler Giddey led the squad with a series-high 621, which placed him 10th individually. He also had the high game for the Colts with 255, the fourth best in the tournament.

Jeff Peltier, Joe Jackson, Dan Berger, Paul March and Michael Kincaid make up the rest of the championship team.

The Colts finished second in the qualifying round, some 300 pins behind Novi Detroit Catholic Central.

In the round of 16, Troy beat South Lyon High 368-328 while Farmington-Harrison Unified upset Catholic Central.

“None of the kids really said anything about it (after the round of 16),” St. Onge remembered. “I guess you bowl who you have to bowl and worry about things like that later.”

Troy then went on to beat Oxford High and Ortonville Brandon before Central in the final.

In some of the matches, Troy found itself down after the first game, and then would get a strike or a spare at the opportune time.

“I just told them, ‘We’re down a little bit. Just focus a little harder, and come out and do the best you can do,’” St. Onge said. “They kept telling me, ‘Don’t worry about it. We got this in the bag.’”

The Colts will soon turn their attention to a state title March 1-2. They will first have to get through regionals Feb. 22-23.

“There are a lot of good teams out there. I hope we do well enough to win it,” St. Onge said. “I also hope we just do well enough to move on as far as we are capable of going. Time will tell.”

You can reach C & G Sports Writer Christian Davis at cdavis@candgnews.com or at (586)498-1062. Follow Christian on Twitter.